Cabinet construction



0d. 17, 1967 e. L. PILLIOD 3,347,610

CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed July 28, 19 66 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.QEQRGE L. Pu L-LJOD K Wa W A'Fro NcQS 0a. 17, 1967 PILI-IOD 3,347,610

CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed July 28, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

FIG 2 INVENTOR. GEORGE L Pl kLJOD 9;? v FIG. 4 Ad United States PatentOfltice 3,347,619 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 3,347,610 CABINET CONSTRUCTIONGeorge L. Piiliod, Swanton, Ohio, assignor to The lilhod CabinetCompany, Swanton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed July 28, 1966, Ser.No. 568,521 4 Claims. (Cl. 312-263) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Thepresent invention relates to an article of furniture and a method ofproducing the same, but more specifically, the invention is concernedwith the construction of a chest of drawers which has considerabletorsional rigidity and can be manufactured economically on a quantitybasis.

Heretofore, it has been customary to produce chests of drawers fromwooden members employing four corner posts with interconnecting spreadermembers, for example, to achieve the desired rigidity and to avoid anytendency of the finished product to deform, causmg the associatedstructure to weaken and allow the drawers to bind.

With the advent of pre-finished hardboard materials, such as laminatedplastic with the lamina, for example, containing urea andphenolforrnaldehyde resins absorbed in a fibrous base, attempts havebeen made to produce furniture products therefrom. Since thin sheets ofhardboard materials naturally do not embody inherent structural strengthcharacteristics and resistance to bending, the use, therefore, of thematerial has been primarily limited to table tops, desk tops, countertops, and the like.

However, it has been found with the present novel construction thatrelatively thin panels of the aforementioned material can be employedinexpensively to produce an attractive, rigid, and relativelymaintenance-free drawercontaining article of furniture.

An object of the present invention is to produce a rigid article offurniture having substantially all the exposed surfaces thereof formedfrom relatively thin panels of laminated plastic material provided witha p-re-finished surface.

Another object of the invention is to produce a structurally rigiddrawer-containing article of furniture wherein the back panel thereof isof relatively rigid stock and the sides are of relatively thin flexiblestock.

Still another object of the invention is to produce a structurally rigidarticle of furniture having structural features which may be readilyvaried to provide different overall appearances to blend with variousperiods of furniture.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a structurallyrigid article of furniture employing prefinished plastic panels, whichmay be manufactured economically on a mass production basis.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a structurallyrigid article of furniture having a rigid floor engaging back panel towhich the other components of the article are fixedly secured.

In one aspect, the invention comprises a construction which typicallycomprises a rigid floor engaging back panel having a pair oflongitudinal grooves formed on the inner surface thereof and extendingvertically adjacent each of the marginal vertical edges of the panel; afloor engaging front frame including a pair of vertically disposedspaced apart side members interconnected by a plurality of horizontallydisposed vertically spaced rails, each having at least one longitudinalgroove formed on the inner surface thereof and extending vertically andin alignment with respective ones of the longitudinal grooves formed inthe back panel; horizontally disposed frame bar members extendingbetween the back panel and the front frame and having portions at eachend thereof engaged within the respective grooves of the back panel andthe front frame whereby the front frame is secured to the back frame; atleast one drawer guide extending horizontally between the back panelsand each of the rails of the front frame; relatively thin pre finishedside panels extending between the vertical edges of the back panel andrespective ones of the side members of the front frame and being securedto respectively adjacent ones of the bar members; and a top paneloverlying the upper horizontal edges of the back panel and the frontframe and being secured to adjacent ones of the bar member.

The above objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom reading the following detailed description of the preferredembodiment of the invention when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top perspective exploded view of a chest of drawersembodying the features of the present invention and illustrating themajor components thereof in a position ready for final assembly;

IGURE 2 is a top perspective view of the assembled chest of drawersillustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE2; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the side members ofthe front frame of the assembly.

Referring to the drawings and more specifically to FIG- URE 1, there isshown an exploded view of the major components of a chest of drawersembodying the concepts of the present invention. Primarily, theconstruction includes a back panel 10 having floor engaging portions 12and 14. The back panel 10 has a pair of longitudinal grooves 16 and 18formed on the inner surface thereof and are adapted to extend verticallyadjacent each of the marginal vertical edges. The back panel 10 isformed of a rigid wood product such as chipboard or the like.

A front floor engaging frame 20 is disposed in front of the innersurface of the back panel 10, andincludes a pair of vertically disposedspaced apart side members 22 and 24 provided with longitudinal grooves26 and 28, respectively, formed on the inner surface thereof. Thelongitudinal grooves 26 and 28 extend vertically and in assembled formare in substantial alignment with respective ones of the longitudinalgrooves 16 and 18 formed in the back panel 10. The side members 22 and24 are interconnected by a plurality of horizontally disposed verticallyspaced rails 30, 32, 34 and 36. The ends of the rails 30, 32, 34 and 36are secured adhesively or otherwise fixedly attached to their respectiveside members 22 and 24.

The frontframe 29 and the back panel are interconnected by suitablypositioned horizontally disposed frame bar members 40, 42, 44 and 46.The opposite ends of each of the frame bar members are provided withoutwardly extending tongues or tenons. The tongues or tenons on one endof each of the frame bar members are adapted to be fixedly engagedwithin the respective grooves 16 and 18 of the back panel 10; while thetongues or tenons of the other end of each of the frame bar members areadapted to be fixedly engaged within the respective grooves 26 and 28 ofthe side members 22 and 24 of the front frame 20. The upper edges of theframe bar members 40 and 44 are positioned 'to be substantially flushwith the upper surfaces of their respective side members 22 and 24.

Horizontally disposed and vertically spaced drawer guide members 50, 52and 54 extend from the rails 39, 32 and 34,-respectively, of the frontframe 20 to the rear panel 10. The front ends of the drawer guides 50,52 and 54 are suitably notched to fit over and be secured adhesively orotherwise to their respective rails 30, 32

and 34. The rearmost ends of the drawer guides 50, 52

and 54 are typically formed with outwardly extending tongues or tenonswhich snugly engage within slots 56, 58, and 60, respectively.

A pair of spaced apart relatively thin pre-finished side panels 62 and64 provide the side walls for the finished article of furniture, asillustrated in FIGURE 2. More specifically, the foremost edges of thepanels 62 and 64 fit snugly within grooves 66 and 68 formed'in the innerface of the side members 22 and 24; while the rearmost edges of thesepanels are caused to overlap opposite vertically extending marginal edgesurfaces of the back panel 10. The overlapped portions of the panels 62and 64 are typically adhesively secured to the adjacent surface of themarginal edge of the back panel 10 to provide for added rigidity to theoverall structure.

Next, the assembly is provided with a pre-finished top panel 74 having awooden frame 71 in underlying relation which is typically secured to theassembly by screws whichare inserted through apertures 72 and 74 formedin the uppermost frame bar member 40, and apertures 76 and 78 in theuppermost frame bar member 44 at the other side of the assembly.

Finally, after the components illustrated in FIGURE 1 have beenassembled, drawer units 80, 82, and 84 are slid in place and guided onthe drawer guides 50, 52,

and 54, respectively.

The side panels 62 and 64, and the top panel 70 typi-.

cally consist of thin sheets of hardboar-d material which arepre-finished so that after the assembly of the parts, no finishing, suchas painting and varnishing, is required. The panels typically possesssubstantial compressive strength edgewise as well as satisfactoy tensilestrength but they tend to bend rather readily. The manner. in whichthese panels are secured to the overall assembly provides an exceedinglyrigid structure of low material cost with a substantial reduction inassembly cost, as compared to conventional furniture. It will be notedthat since the rear panel 10 is of substantially rigid material and allof the load bearing elements of the assembly are directly or indirectlyfixedly secured thereto, any torsional stresses applied to the finishedassembly will be adequately resisted by the stiffness and stability ofthe back panel 10 to provide a completely rigid overall structure. Notonly is a sturdy and reliable non-wobbly article of furniture thusproduced, but one having the desired aesthetic appeal.

An additional feature of the described structure resides in the relativefacility of simply and economically varying the overall appearancethereof by merely varying the configuration of the side members of thefront frame 20. One typical'variation is illustrated in FIGURE 4 whereinthe side member 22 is provided with a curved outer marginal edgeportion. This feature enables a manufacturer 4 to produce a'number ofdifferent styles of the finished article of furniture by merely varyingthe shape of the outer marginal edges of the two side members of thefront frame.

Thus it will be manifest that an important feature of the invention isthe use of a back panel 10 which has the desired attributes of strength,stability, resistance to weaving and bending and capable of havingattached thereto parts such as the side'panels 62 and 64, and bars orbraces 40, 42, 44 and 46, which of themselves do not have rigidity tomilitate against twisting forces. Howevergby employing the rigid panel10, as an anchor for these parts, an unusually stable article is had ata modest cost.

By way of example the panel 10 preferably should be of the order of fourtimes the thickness'of the side panels 62 and 64 and the penetration ofthetenons of the bars 49, 42, 44 and 46 into the grooves 16 and 18should be to an extent of about one half the thickness of the panel 10.

A modification of the structure hereinbefore described is to employ therigid rear panel 10 and fixedly attach a vertically extending stringermember slightly adjacent the vertical marginal edges of the panel andattach the horizontally extending frame bar members 40, 42, 44, and 46to the respective stringer member.

Also, the slots 55, 58 and 60 can be formed to extend through the entirewidth dimension of the inner surface of the rear panel 10 and can be ofsuificient size to receive the ends of the respective drawer guides 50,52 and 54.

It will be understood that while apertures 72, 74, 76 and 78 areillustrated as being formed in the respective frame bar members 40 and44, additional apertures could be formed in the rail 36 to receivefasteners for securing the top panel to the remainder of the assembly.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes,

I have illustrated and described what I now consider to be the preferredembodiment of the invention. However, I desire to have it understoodthat the invention may be practiced otherwise than illustrated anddescribed within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An article of furniture comprising:

a rigid vertical one piece back panel of dimensional stability having apair of longitudinal frame bar member receiving means on the innersurface thereof, each of said receiving means extending vertically insaid back panel adjacent a marginal edge;

a front frame substantially coextensive with said back panel andincluding a pair of vertically disposed laterally spaced side membersinterconnectedby a plurality of horizontally disposed vertically spacedrails, each side member having at least one longitudinal groove formedon the inner surface thereof and extending vertically and in alignmentwith respective longitudinal frame bar, member receiving means in saidback panel;

horizontally disposed frame bar members extending between said backpanel and said front frame, said frame .bar members having portions at.each end thereof being received in respective receiving means in saidback panel and said front frame whereby said front frame is secured tosaid back panel;

at least one drawer guide extending horizontally between said back paneland all but the top one of each of the rails of said front frame;

relatively thin and flexible pre-finished side panels extending betweenvertical edges of said back panel and respective ones of the sidemembers of said front frame and secured to respectively adjacent ones ofsaid bar members;

and a pre-finished top panel overlying the upper horizontal edges ofsaid back panel and said front frame and secured insuch a position toadjacent ones of said bar members. 2. An article of furniture as definedin claim 1 wherein said frame bar member receiving means comprisesgrooves formed along respective marginal edges of said back panel.

3. An article of furniture as defined in claim 2, wherein each of saidside members of said front frame is provided with a second longitudinalgrooveformed on the inner surface thereof between the first mentionedgroove and the outer marginal edge thereof, said second groove fixedlyreceiving the front marginal edge portion of the respective one of saidside panels.

4. An article of furniture as defined in claim 2 in which said backpanel has a thickness greatly in excess of said side panels and tenonson said bar members penetrating the grooves in said back panel and saidside members whereby said back panel serves as an anchor to contributestability to the other parts.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 801,020 10/ 1905 Kirkpatrick312-257 892,997 7/1908 Kroeger 312-108 917,725 4/1909 Faust 312-1081,285,572 11/1918 Adams 312-257 X 1,764,822 6/1930 Bott 312-1402,220,206 11/1940 Bullard 312-257 2,360,451 10/1944 Stone 312-257 JAMEST. MCCALL, Primary Examiner.

1. AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE COMPRISING: A RIGID VERTICAL ONE PIECE BACKPANEL OF DIMENSIONAL STABILITY HAVING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL FRAME BARMEMBER RECEIVING MEANS ON THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF, EACH OF SAIDRECEIVING MEANS EXTENDING VERTICALLY IN SAID BACK PANEL ADJACENT AMARGINAL EDGE; A FRONT FRAME SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID BACKPANEL AND INCLUDING A PAIR OF VERTICALLY DISPOSED LATERALLY SPACED SIDEMEMBERS INTERCONNECTED BY A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY DISPOSEDVERTICALLY SPACED RAILS, EACH SIDE MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONELONGITUDINAL GROOVE FORMED ON THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF AND EXTENDINGVERTICALLY AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH RESPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL FRAME BARMEMBER RECEIVING MEANS IN SAID BACK PANEL; HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED FRAMEBAR MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID BACK PANEL AND SAID FRONT FRAME, SAIDFRAME BAR MEMBERS HAVING PORTION AT EACH END THEREOF BEING RECEIVED INRESPECTIVE RECEIVING MEANS IN SAID BACK PANEL AND SAID FRONT FRAMEWHEREBY SAID FROM FRAME IS SECURED TO SAID BACK PANEL; AT LEAST ONEDRAWER GUIDE EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY BETWEEN SAID BACK PANEL AND ALL BUTTHE TOP ONE OF EACH OF THE RAILS OF SAID FRONT FRAME; RELATIVELY THINAND FLEXIBLE PRE-FINISHED SIDE PANELS EXTENDING BETWEEN VERTICAL EDGESOF SAID BACK PANEL AND RESPECTIVE ONES OF THE SIDE MEMBERS OF SAID FRONTFRAME AND SECURED TO RESPECTIVELY ADJACENT ONES OF SAID BAR MEMBERS; ANDA PRE-FINISHED TOP PANEL OVERLYING THE UPPER HORIZONTAL EDGES OF SAIDBACK PANEL AND SAID FRONT FRAME AND SECURED IN SUCH A POSITON TOADJACENT ONES OF SAID BAR MEMBERS.